Pipe handling table

Claim 1

WORK HANDLING APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING ELONGATED WORKPIECES TO AND FROM WORK STATIONS AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STANDS POSITIONED IN ALIGNED RELATION BETWEEN SAID WORKING STATIONS, SETS OF ROLLERS MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID STANDS FOR VERTICAL SHIFTING MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID LEVEL AND A LOWER LEBEL, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROLLERS TO CARRY A WORKPIECE SUPPORTED THEREON AXIALLY TOWARD A WORKING STATION, A MOTOR ON ONE OF SAID STANDS, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE ROLLERS ON EACH OF SAID STANDS TO SAID MOTOR FOR SIMULTANEOUS VERTICAL SHIFTING MOVEMENT BETWEN SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL AND SAID LOWER LEVEL, WORK TRANSFER MEANS MOUNTED ON EACH STAND FOR VERTICAL SHIFTING MOVEMENT AND LATERAL DISPLACEMENT, AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY RAISING SAID ROLLERS TO SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL, RAISING SAID WORK TRANSFER MEANS TO SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL, LOWERING SAID ROLLERS TO DEPOSIT A WORKPIECE ON SAID WORK TRANSFER MEANS, LATERALLY SHIFTING SAID WORK TRANSFER MEANS IN HORIZONTAL STRAIGHT LINE MOTION AT SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL, RAISING SAID ROLLERS TO SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL TO ENGAGE A WORKPIECE CARRIED BY SAID WORK TRANSFER MEANS, AND LOWERING SAID WORK TRANSFER MEANS WHEREBY SAID WORKPIECE IS CONSTANTLY MANTAINED AT SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL.